FBC: Firebreak guide – 8 tips to help you survive missions in The Oldest House

Are you ready to join the Federal Bureau of Control, revisit The Oldest House, and fend off the Hiss threat? If so, then get ready to jump into FBC: Firebreak, the multiplayer Control spin-off developed by Remedy Entertainment. In this three-person co-op shooter, you’ll delve deep into long-forgotten government facilities filled with the strange and the paranormal—and hopefully emerge to tell the tale.

Our FBC: Firebreak guide has several tips to help you get started and survive your first few missions. We'll break down FBC: Firebreak's three classes, how they work together to tackle the main objectives, and how you can configure the difficulty to your squad’s liking.

 

Understand the three Crisis Kits (or classes)

Perhaps the most important FBC: Firebreak tip to remember is that all three classes—or Crisis Kits, as they're called in-game—possess unique abilities geared toward specific playstyles. This can be seen in both the default tools that each class utilizes, as well as devices and Altered Augments (i.e. ultimates). 

You can still equip a variety of weapons, grenades, and perks irrespective of your class. Moreover, you can change your Crisis Kit both before and during matches.

Here's what to expect from each class:
 

Fix Kit

Players who prefer the Fix Kit ought to focus on repairing faulty machinery and staggering foes with their trusty Wrench. They also gain access to the Swivel Cannon, which acts as an automated turret, and the AI16 Piggy Bank, which surrounds the Fix Kit user with a deadly storm of coins.
 

Jump Kit

The Jump Kit contains the Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor, a tool that can discharge high-voltage electrical blasts. Jump Kit players are geared for crowd control, and can toss the BoomBox, which attracts enemies before exploding. Likewise, there’s the AI19 Garden Gnome, which walks around and zaps anything nearby with charged lightning.
 

Splash Kit

The Splash Kit fills a more support-oriented role, thanks to the Crank-Operated Fluidic Ejector, which lets you spray large globules of water at enemies and objects. Players who like this class can also utilize the Humidifier, which restores health and removes afflictions from the squad. But be careful—the AI44 Teapot ultimate superheats water blobs to scorch friend and foe alike.

 

Team up with others to complete objectives faster

It’s up to you if you want to play FBC: Firebreak on your own, but we don’t recommend it since the game doesn’t have AI-controlled bots to fill in the gaps. It’s better to start or join matches as part of a group. This way, you can maximize potential class synergies and complete tasks faster. 

Here are some examples:

• A player using the Splash Kit can douse a squadmate who’s on fire. They can also spray water on enemies, which then allows a player using the Jump Kit to shock these hostiles and briefly stun them.
• Repairing a contraption or gathering ammo requires you to press the correct buttons in a sequence. While defenseless, it’s up to your allies to cover you.
• One person can use their melee action to push back foes, while teammates blast targets with their firearms.
• Downed players can be revived instead of wasting a life/respawn.
• Two-person or three-person squads can finish tasks—such as carrying leech pearls, destroying sticky notes, and lugging around heaters—faster than a solo player.

Know the key objectives in each mission or job

Every job in FBC: Firebreak has its own main objective or mechanics, and it's important to know what you're doing in each:

• Hot Fix: You need to repair the transfer fans. However, the temperature in the site is extremely high, so you have to shower or find other ways to cool off.
• Paper Chase: You have to destroy thousands of sticky notes that are clustered together. You can either shoot them with your weapons or zap them with the Jump Kit’s tool if they’re already wet.
• Ground Control: In Black Rock Quarry, you must shoot leeches on the ceilings and stalactites to make them drop leech pearls. These leech pearls then need to be placed in a cart.
• Frequency Shift: The turbines are covered in icky pink goo. You must find a way to cleanse the liquid gunk and activate the machines.
• Freezer Duty: Several frost anomalies appear in the area and you must fix the heaters to disperse them. Multiple heaters speed up the process.

Important: Remember that finishing the key objectives isn’t enough. You still need to call the elevator and survive for several seconds so you can successfully escape the zone.

 

Use Clearance Levels, Threat Levels, and Corruption to adjust difficulty

Missions in FBC: Firebreak take place in various locations in The Oldest House. That said, you're able to make changes via an assortment of difficulty options.
 

Clearance Levels

By default, each mission only has Clearance Level 1 unlocked, which means you can only explore the first zone or chamber. Completing this stage unlocks the next level and so on, up to Clearance Level 3.

While you still have to tackle the main tasks—such as destroying sticky notes in Paper Chase—higher Clearance Levels open up additional areas and tougher encounters. Certain stages also conclude with a boss battle or unique finale.
 

Threat Levels

Threat Levels are akin to regular difficulty options in other games. The higher the selected option, the more challenging it gets. That means stronger (and more varied) enemies and higher-intensity firefights.
 

Corruption Level

Corruption Levels become active only when you’re playing missions at Clearance Level 3. At this point, there will be various modifiers to turn on, including randomized fixture placements and Corrupted Items.

Corrupted Items make runs more nail-biting due to debilitating or cumbersome effects. You should remove them to obtain Research Samples, a rare resource that’s used to upgrade perks.

 

Use the environment to your advantage

The crisis sites in The Oldest House include an assortment of environmental mechanics that can either help or hinder you:

• The dry sticky notes in Paper Chase cling to your character and obscure your vision.
• The pink goo in Frequency Shift causes the “pink” status effect. If you catch fire, you might explode.
• You can shoot pipes to spray water all over the place. Conversely, you can look for objects that can be ignited.
• Ziplines can be used to get away from enemies or to swiftly travel from one end of the area to the other.

Of course, environmental hazards affect enemies as well. For instance, Hiss that get stuck in pink goop are more susceptible to being blown apart, thus leading to chain explosions.

 

Find the locations of showers, ammo supplies, and shelters

Every stage in FBC: Firebreak has the following landmarks to look out for:

• Showers: You must repair the shower by pressing the correct button sequence. Standing underneath it then restores your health.
• Ammo supplies: Press the correct button sequence to replenish your ammo.
• Shelters: Once unlocked, you can enter a shelter to grab a bunch of goodies, including ammo, grenades, and other items. However, be forewarned that enemies can still get inside.

Collect Lost Assets and other resources to unlock perks and items

Resource acquisition and management are important in FBC: Firebreak as they allow you to purchase boosts and upgrades, which can then be equipped via the Loadout menu. These upgrades include:

• Requisitions: Weapons, cosmetic gear pieces, grenades, devices, and Parautilities.
• Research: Obtain new perks for your character. Note that perks are available universally across all classes/Crisis Kits once unlocked. However, each class must be leveled independently to gain new perk slots.

Certain resources tend to be rarer than the rest. For instance, Lost Assets are dropped by powerful enemies/elites or are placed on Fixtures, and certain Research Samples are only found in zones with a Corrupted Item during Clearance Level 3 runs. Looking for something specific? Check the following locations:

• Hot Fix: Whispering Ash
• Paper Chase: Viscous Strips
• Ground Control: Achromatic Sand
• Frequency Shift: Resonant Globs
• Freezer Duty: Numbed Splinters

Try to revive teammates when the coast is clear

You’re more effective when working together with your teammates. As such, when an ally is downed, go ahead and revive them so they can get back on their feet. If you're struggling to get them up, players can respawn back at the elevator when downed—but you lose a life in the process. You’ll drop all your Lost Assets and Research Samples, too, which means you have to pick up all the goodies you left behind.

That does it for our FBC: Firebreak guide. We hope these tips help you and your team overcome the challenges that await in The Oldest House!

FBC: Firebreak is available now on the Epic Games Store, and the FBC: Firebreak Deluxe Edition includes the base game, two premium voice packs, exclusive skins, and 36 unlockable cosmetic items.